Arts preview: Local Author Showcase

Wednesday

Jan 17, 2018 at 6:30 PM

Backstage at the Lincoln welcomes four local authors

Jim Fischer Assistant Editor @feeshalive

Primarily a performing arts series, CAPA's Backstage at the Lincoln is expanding its programming to feature authors and visual artists. “It's a twist so the series can encompass more of the arts and so we can showcase some of those people who have gone through our Artist Incubation Program,” Lincoln Theatre General Manager Suzan Bradford said.

One of those artists is author Chris Bournea, who will read from two of his books, including the novel “The Chloe Chronicles,” about a young woman of mixed heritage, and “All Jokes Aside,” the memoir of Raymond Lambert, the owner of a Chicago comedy club where many African-American comedians got their start.

The idea for “The Chloe Chronicles” began while Bournea was growing up on Columbus' East Side, and is in part influenced by the author's own multiracial family.

“I grew up in kind of a multicultural bubble, so I have kind of a unique perspective on race, which I got to explore a lot in the book,” Bournea said.

Other local authors include Alexis Wilson (“Not So Black and White”), Kim Brazwell (“Browning Pleasantville”) and Vada Azeem (“The Boy Who Tried to Touch the Sun”). A Q&A session will follow the readings.